1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a pet toy and, more particularly, to a pet toy for holding consumable treats.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many pet toys available that provide entertainment to the pet and the owner, including pet toys that dispense treats upon rolling or movement of the toy. However, these toys provide for the insertion of the treats into cavities within the toy and for dispensing based on movement or rotation of the toy. The present invention is markedly different by providing external ribs and spaces between the ribs for impinging the treats so that the pet may physically extract the treats. This provides exercise to the muscles, strengthens teeth and gums, and extracts harmful plaque from the teeth of a pet. These, among other disclosed advantages and features, overcome many of the deficiencies outlined and inherent within the known prior art.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,557,496 and 6,484,671, each issued in the name of Herrenbruck, disclose a treat dispensing toy having an exit allowing treats to be dispensed;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,634, issued in the name of Mann, discloses a pet toy having a trapper cavity for insertion of an animal attactant;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,391, issued in the name of Simonetti, discloses a treat dispensing toy having a pair of spaced disk portions and structured to enable treats to be dispensed from an interior chamber when an animal causes rotation of the toy;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,182, issued in the name of Lindgren, discloses an animal chew and play toy and a treat container;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,061, issued in the name of Markham et al., discloses a pet toy product with integral treats receiving receptacles for removably holding one or more animal treats;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,570, issued in the name of Van Natter, III et al., discloses a disc-shaped animal retrieval toy having a treat container;
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0096554 A1, in the name of Persall, discloses a multipurpose disc toy useful as a water and food dish for a pet; and
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0205206 A1, in the name of Natale et al., discloses a dog bone holder.
Consequently, there exists a continuous need for new ideas and enhancements for existing products in the pet toy industry.